This disclosure relates to hose reels, and more particularly to a modular direct drive system for a hose reel.
Hose reels allow for the compact storage of fluid-carrying hoses. After a hose has been deployed for use, it must be rewound onto the reel for compact storage and to prevent entanglement with the work environment. The rewinding of the hose typically occurs via a hand crank or a drive attached to a chain and sprocket system.
Hose reels are preferably compact because storage area is at a premium in mobile installations and a compact assembly allows for more hose reels and fluid options. In addition, hose reels are preferably powered to eliminate the need for a bulky, manual cranking mechanism. To ensure that the hose reel remains compact, the drive mechanism turns the spool via a chain and sprocket system. The drive is usually housed within the hose reel frame and the chain and sprocket transfers the rotational energy of the drive to the hose reel spool to facilitate rewinding of the hose. Such a system requires maintenance of the chain and sprocket and the installation of safety mechanisms to guard pinch points associated with chain and sprocket systems. A direct drive system eliminates the need for a chain and sprocket, but such systems are usually bulky because they cannot be stored within the hose reel frame, and they do not facilitate easy alteration of various drives to comply with the user's requirements.